


Necklace

by LilacChocolate



Series: Life and Light and Laughter [1]
Category: Lockwood & Co. - Jonathan Stroud
Genre: Angst, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 08:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13807095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacChocolate/pseuds/LilacChocolate
Summary: Lucy returns her necklace to Lockwood.





	Necklace

**Author's Note:**

> So, I love Lockwood and Co. Like a lot. And I've decided to write a series of oneshots about my favourite pairing of them all, Locklyle. I have twenty planned out so far, but if anyone wants to request something (please request in the comments or message me on tumblr), then I'll write it for you! The only thing I ask that you don't request is rape, since I do not ever want to write that.
> 
> Enjoy!  
> Lilac x

Two days after Lockwood had shown me and George what was in the secret room, I felt it was time to return the necklace to him. I don't think Lockwood ever intended for me to keep it, and I decided that I had kept it long enough.

It was just after lunch, which was when Lockwood usually sat in his bedroom reading whenever we weren't on a case. I knocked on his door, necklace in hand. 

'Come in.'

I opened the door, seeing that Lockwood was led on his bed, tie and blazer discarded beside him, the top two buttons of his shirt undone and the bottom untucked. His usually neat hair was in disarray, unruly strands resting on his forehead. He looked up from his magazine, smiling at me. It wasn't the full-on gigawatt smile that could light up any room, rather, it was the lopsided smile, the one that he only offered up to me and George, but his entire demeanour made my heart beat faster. I had fallen for Lockwood from the moment he had grabbed me by the waist and stopped me from jumping into the well at Combe Carey, and as the months passed, I fell for my boss even more. He was always by my side, hugging me well done when we had defeated a particularly tricky ghost, helping me with my fencing technique, glancing at me across the kitchen table. But my feelings for him seemed to have escalated in the past week, what with the necklace and the way Lockwood had grabbed my hand when we jumped into the Thames together. Even George had noticed that I had fallen hard for Lockwood, but our employer was either ignoring it or he really hadn't noticed.

'Luce? You alright? You're blushing.'

I laughed nervously, not realising that I had started daydreaming and had turned red. 'I'm, fine, Lockwood. I just came to return this.' I stepped into his room and held out the necklace. 'I figured it belonged to either your mum or sister and that you would probably want it back. I was still wearing it when we jumped in the Thames, sorry, but I've cleaned it. It's perfectly fine.'

Lockwood looked up at me with wide brown eyes. 'You didn't need to give it me back.'

'Well, it's not mine. It's yours.' 

He held out his hand and I coiled the chain and diamond into his palm. His soft palm. It had been soft when he grabbed me by the hand and jumped into the Thames, but the skin between his index finger and thumb was rougher and calloused from where he held his rapier, and his – I needed to stop thinking about him like this.

'Thank you.' He curled his fingers around the necklace and looked up at me. I blushed again, suddenly feeling very awkward stood in his bedroom.

I turned and left the room, shut the door behind me and ran up the stairs to my own room, not pausing to catch my breath until I was led on my bed. 

Why couldn't I stop thinking about him like this?

…

The day after, I was sat at my desk downstairs, drawing away in my sketchpad. George was taking his mid-morning bath and Lockwood was in the room next door, practicing his fencing with Joe and Esmeralda. I paused in my doodling and imagined what he looked like. He would have put his blazer on one of the chairs, maybe loosened his tie and undone the first two buttons on his shirt. His sleeves would be rolled up, the muscles in his arms tensing as he performed a complicated warding knot, his hair stuck to his forehead with perspiration.

The mental image that I had created had me blushing and I shook my head, continuing with my drawing, now shading it in. I was so absorbed that I didn't hear the door to the fencing room open.

I carried on drawing, dropping my pencil in shock when I felt something cold sliding around my neck. I was on the verge of reaching for my rapier, even though it wasn't nearby, but I stayed still when Lockwood whispered in my ear.

'Relax, Luce.'

I glanced downwards, seeing that the small diamond was once again resting against my skin, and I could feel Lockwood's long fingers reclasping it behind my neck.

'Lockwood-'

He shushed me and spun my chair around so I was looking at him, his face slightly shiny from fencing, his sleeves rolled up the way I had imagined, my heart beating faster now that he was stood in front of me instead of a room away.

'The necklace didn't belong to my mother or my sister. It belongs to you. That's why I gave it to you. I bought it a month ago, but I couldn't find the right time to give it to you. The Fittes’ party was a good opportunity, and I had wanted to give it to you when we were alone, but when I realised that George wasn't going to leave my side all night, I gave it to you before we left.'

'Why did you buy me a necklace, Lockwood?'

He blushed. Actually blushed. Once pale cheeks colouring up in a way that I didn't think was capable for my always suave boyfriend – employer, Lucy, employer.

'I didn't know how to tell you otherwise. I thought that if I bought you a gift, I would be able to tell you using it as a starter, but…. I still haven't been able to tell you.'

'Tell me what?'

He sighed and scratched the back of his neck. 'I like you, Lucy. A lot. I know it's weird because I'm your boss, and I understand if you don't return my feelings and want to leave the company, but I just had to tell you.' He bit his lip and ran his fingers through his hair. 'Anyway, just pretend that I said nothing.' He gave me a small smile and made his way up the stairs, not once turning back to look at me. I wouldn't have noticed even if he had; I was too busy staring at the place where he had been stood, telling me that he liked me.

I suppose I should go upstairs and tell him that I feel the same way, but I shook my head at the thought. What would I say to him? _Hey, Lockwood. I like you too. Wanna make out?_ Yeah, maybe not that.

I turned back to my desk, feeling the beginnings of a smirk making its way onto my face. Anthony Lockwood _liked_ me. He had feelings for me. The man who owned the smallest and one of the most successful agencies in London liked _me_ , a girl from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere.

I looked down at my drawing, and the smirk fell right off my face. I had drawn Lockwood, necklace held out towards me in his hand. I stuffed my sketchpad into the drawer of my desk: that wasn't going in my portfolio anytime soon.

…

That night, we were all sat around the table in the kitchen eating, and I could feel Lockwood’s eyes on me, looking at the necklace I still had on. Was he glad that I was wearing it?

As we were reaching the end of the meal, George spoke up. 'So, are we just going to ignore the romantic tension between you two or what?'

Lockwood gave him a funny look. 'What are you talking about?'

'I'm not stupid.' He looked between the two of us, but neither of us said anything. 'Right, I'm going to get the donuts from the pantry.' George left the room and Lockwood continued to eat, but I pushed my plate to one side.

'Is he right? Are we just going to ignore it?'

He looked up at me, his eyes narrowed a little. ‘I thought that's what you wanted. You didn't say anything this morning after I told you that I liked you.’

'That's the opposite of what I want, Lockwood. I like you, too.'

He pushed his plate to one side. 'Oh. I didn't actually think that you would reciprocate my feelings.'

I sighed. ‘Lockwood, I've been in love with you since you saved me at Combe Carey.'

'Well, errmm...' He looked away from me, blushing. 'That's good.'

'Just kiss already!' George shouted from outside the room.

Lockwood stood up and threw open the door. 'Lucy and I are not going to talk again until you go either upstairs or downstairs.'

George grumbled and turned around, and Lockwood stood at the door for a moment, watching him go, then he shut it and turned back to me. A strange and strained look of nervousness overcame his face. ‘I've never done this before. Asked a girl out, I mean.’

I raised an eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well… you know… you’re…’ I felt the beginnings of a blush on my cheeks, ‘very good looking. And charming and kind. You could have any girl you want. It seems a bit strange that you want me.’

Lockwood walked around the table with narrowed eyes and crouched down beside my chair. ‘What do you mean by that?’

I kept my eyes focused on the thinking cloth. ‘I’m not exactly… I guess I’m kind of… boring?’

‘Luce…’ Lockwood reached up and his hand cupped the side of my face, turning my head to face him. ‘You are not boring. You’re so feisty and courageous. I can barely keep up with you sometimes.’

‘I don’t mind like that… I mean, you know, my face.’

‘You _do not_ look boring, Luce. You’re beautiful.’

I didn’t usually get caught in concern about my looks and feel sorry for myself. I tried not to think about it too much, but it was hard not to at the moment when Lockwood was calling me beautiful when I so obviously wasn’t. ‘Lockwood-’

‘No, don’t argue with me. You are beautiful. Maybe not to everyone. But you are to me, Luce. I think you’re perfect.’

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. Not even my mother had paid me such a nice compliment. ‘Lockwood…’

‘Do you believe me?’ he asked, his voice so soft.

I nodded, unable to get the words out to tell him yes, I did. Lockwood caressed the side of my side, then leant up and kissed me on the lips. I shuddered at his silky touch and leant into him, kissing him back, but pulled away with a shaky breath soon after. I had imagined for a while now what it would be like to kiss Lockwood, for my first kiss to be with him. I didn’t think it would ever happen, but now that it had, I couldn’t stop myself from smiling even though there were still tears in my eyes.

I threw my arms around Lockwood’s shoulders and hugged him tight, smiling even wider when I felt his arms wrap around my waist.

‘Be my girlfriend?’ he asked.

‘Yes,’ I whispered. ‘I love you, I love you.’

I felt Lockwood smile against my shoulder. ‘I love you, too, Luce.’

There was clapping from the doorway and we both looked up and saw George stood in the doorframe.

‘George!’ Lockwood shouted.

The other boy smirked. ‘Sorry, but it was pretty cute. I had to watch. I’ve been waiting for this moment since you hired Lucy.’

‘What?’ I asked, not understanding.

‘Lockwood had a crush on you from the moment he hired you. Not very ethical to recruit someone you fancy, but when has Lockwood and co ever played by the rules?’

‘George, get out,’ Lockwood said through gritted teeth.

The other boy waddled out of the room, looking incredibly smug, and I turned to Lockwood. ‘Is he right? You liked me since you hired me?’

‘Err, yeah. Does it bother you?’

I shook my head. ‘Not one bit.’

Lockwood smiled and pulled me back to his body, holding me tight against his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


End file.
